Vermont Business Magazine A national network of children’s hospitals has recognized the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital for the exceptional achievement of going one year without a single patient in its neonatal ICU, pediatric ICU, and pediatric inpatient unit contracting a common and dangerous bloodstream infection. Because of this success, the 100-member Solutions for Patient Safety National Children’s Network selected the UVM Children’s Hospital as a Top Performing Hospital for 2016. The infection involved - central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) - occurs when bacteria or other germs travel down a large IV line that delivers medicine directly to the heart. They cause thousands of deaths each year in the U.S., and cost billions of dollars to treat.
(L to R) Brianna Kim, RN; Joanne Barton, RN; Mary Flemming, Davis, RN; Kathy Browne, LICSW and Sara Burton, RN are all part of the quality improvement effort that resulted in a one-year absence of a dangerous bloodstream infection at the UVM Children’s Hospital.
Hospital leaders attribute the success to extensive training, consistent monitoring, standardizing procedures, empowering staff to flag potential problems, and educating patients and families.
“Providing health care involves many processes occurring simultaneously, so providers need to work closely with quality improvement teams to spot where potential errors can occur," said Keith Robinson, MD, director of Quality Improvement at UVM Children’s Hospital. "Our CLABSI prevention team has done an incredible job to make the central line process as safe and reliable as possible. At the end of the day, it is the people at the bedside that really drive our success in patient safety. I am very proud of everyone at UVM Children’s Hospital for this achievement and their continued effort to provide the best possible care for our patients."
“This honor is shared by everyone who works day and night to ensure the safest and highest quality care environment for our patients and their families,” said Lewis First, MD, chief of Pediatrics for the UVM Children’s Hospital. “Being recognized nationally for these high standards of patient safety is a great way to show we are achieving our mission of keeping care local and keeping it the best.”
CLABSI prevention has remained an area of strength for the UVM Children’s Hospital and the UVM Medical Center for many years. The Department of Health and Human Services has singled-out the UVM Medical Center among all hospitals in the nation for its consistent and successful focus on preventing CLABSIs and other hospital-acquired infections.
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About Solutions for Patient Safety
Solutions for Patient Safety is a network of over 100 children’s hospitals with a shared vision that “no children will ever experience serious harm while we are trying to heal them.” Their purpose is to create safe environments for children by sharing best practices and creating a “culture of safety” in their facilities, among other methods.
About The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital
From the maternity unit to the emergency department and from our Children’s Specialty Center to our pediatric primary care clinics, The University of Vermont Children's Hospital offers a welcoming child and family-friendly atmosphere with high-quality pediatric care. In partnership with The University of Vermont Medical Center, The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital delivers expert care grounded in the latest research to residents throughout Vermont and northern New York. It is fully accredited by the Children’s Hospital Association. For more information please visit www.uvmhealth.org/childrens